


Impromptu Camping Trip

by ami_ven



Category: NCIS
Genre: Community: writerverse, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-31
Updated: 2014-03-31
Packaged: 2018-01-17 16:16:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1394113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>McGee, Tony and Gibbs hadn’t planned on camping.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Impromptu Camping Trip

**Author's Note:**

> written for LJ community "writerverse" prompt "location: mountains"

McGee added a few more medium-sized branches to the fire, coaxing it to burn a little brighter. Standing up again, he jostled his right arm and winced, before getting back to work. It would be going a lot faster if he could carry more than a few at a time, but while he was almost sure his arm wasn’t broken, he didn’t want to risk making it worse.

“Tim,” said Tony softly, from the other side of the too-small fire. 

“I’m going as fast as I can.”

“I _meant_ , you should let me help.”

“You stay put!” said McGee, sharply.

Tony scowled. “My knee might be busted, but both my arms work just fine.”

McGee could hear the pain behind the determination in his partner’s voice, and let out a long breath. “Okay,” he said at last, and carefully tipped his next load of firewood into Tony’s lap. “How is he?”

Tony shook his head. “No change.”

They both looked over at Gibbs, who was wrapped in an emergency blanket and who hadn’t so much as stirred since they had pulled him from the wreck of their car.

“We should have been back to the Navy Yard an hour ago,” said McGee, starting to collect more branches. “Abby will start to worry, then Ducky, then they’ll send Ziva to come and find us.”

“Will she?” asked Tony. “Our car is at the bottom of a cliff, our cellphones are probably in a million little pieces, and we took a detour that wasn’t on any maps. And Gibbs—”

Tony broke off abruptly, bending his uninjured knee and wrapping both arms around it. “I know you think I’ve had, like, a thousand concussions since I started at NCIS, but Gibbs… What if he doesn’t have another major recovery in him, Tim? What if he doesn’t get better this time?”

McGee dropped his armload of branches beside the fire and crouched in front of his partner. “Gibbs is going to be fine,” he said, with much more confidence than he felt. “Because you’re taking really good care of him.”

“Okay, that’s just patronizing, McGee.”

“I know, sorry. How’s your knee?”

“Throbbing,” Tony said, honestly. “How’s your arm?”

“About the same.” McGee looked up as a sudden, sharp wind started. “It’s supposed to get cold in the mountains at night. You should be under the emergency blanket with Gibbs.”

“And you’re going to keep watch all night, McPower-trip?” Tony countered.

“Somebody should. We’ll need to keep the fire going and—”

“I’ll set the alarm on my watch,” said Tony. “Every two hours. Besides, it’ll be much warmer with all three of us.”

McGee wanted to argue. There was nothing preventing a gust of wind from putting out their fire, or a wild animal from finding them, or a dozen other things. But he’d been awake for the better part of three days. His arm ached, where it didn’t outright hurt, and he was _cold_.

“Okay,” he agreed. He helped Tony shift the still-unconscious Gibbs closer to the fire and pulled the blanket around them, then slid in on their boss’s other side.

Hours later, after McGee had put five more armloads of wood on the fire, he was woken by the first light of dawn and a sudden movement.

“Hey,” he muttered, eyes still closed. “Not time yet. Go ‘way.”

The feather-light attempt at a head-slap sent him bolt upright, instantly awake. 

“Boss!” he cried. “Tony, _Tony_ , wake up!”

His partner blinked, then sat up, grinning broadly. “Boss! You’re back!”

“I go someplace, DiNozzo?” Gibbs asked, his voice hoarse but steady.

“Almost,” said Tony. “But lucky for us, we had McCub Scout to build us a fire.”

“Yeah?” said Gibbs. “Good work, Tim.”

Suddenly, there was a sound from the trees. A battered Jeep, painted in Park Service colors, crunched through the little-used game trail— Ziva jumped out before it had come to a stop. McGee scrambled to his feet, and she didn’t even slow down before pulling him into a hug.

“We knew you’d find us,” he breathed, then started to pull back. “But Gibbs and Tony—”

Over her shoulder, he saw Palmer get out of the Jeep, Ducky’s medical bag in hand, and McGee relaxed again.

“Tim, are you all right?” Ziva asked.

He nodded against her shoulder. “Yeah, we’re okay now.”

THE END


End file.
